St. George, Home Sweet Home

Four Reasons We Love St. George

homeWe love building our Ence Homes in St. George because we love living here. Warm weather, national events and a strong economy all add to the beauty of this great place.

Let’s start off with our very favorite reason, the weather. While the summers can sometimes get a little hot the year round temperatures are divine. And just for your gee wiz collection, the record high in the summer is 117 so if you love to be in the sun, St. George is the place for you.

Because of the year-round sunshine, St. George has some of the best golf in Utah. Which brings us to our next favorite thing about St. George. Washington County has 12 courses providing enough variety to keep you entertained from January to December.

Next on the list is national events. St. George always seems to be hosting a national event of some kind, which brings tourism for our economy and great activities for our families. St. George hosts one of America’s best marathons as rated by Runners.com along with the St. George half IronMan which draws in some of the most fit people on the planet. Another favorite event that is held annually every October is the Huntsman World Senior Games. This event draws athletes from all around the world. Both men and women ages 50 and over compete in 22 sports over the course of the two-week competition.

These events help add to our last item on the list, St. George’s strong economy. Because of the events, cost of living and low crime rates, St. George has enjoyed great economic growth the past few years. To give you a picture of how well the economy is doing, let’s take this year’s IronMan race. There were over 7,600 visitors that brought in $5.5 million to the economy. Out of the visitors, an overwhelming 82 percent said they plan to visit again. These numbers are a strong indication that St. George is growing and that property value will continue to rise.

Now you know some of our favorite things about St. George, what are some of yours?

Riverside Cliffs Move-in Ready Home

Looking for a new home in St. George. This home is ready to move in. No need to wait for your home to be built or go through the hassle of buying a used home.

This Move-in Ready home is 1968 sq. ft. 4 bed, 2 bath with 2 car garage. Please call Richard for more information at 435-216-1707.

 

Kid friendly decorating

The décor of your custom or move-in ready new homes in St. George changes entirely when you add kids into the mix. Your decorating style turns into a goal of creating a safe and comfortable environment for your kids that won’t get easily messed up. Check out these ten kid friendly decorating tips.

  1. Kids love to be involved. Allow your children to assist you in the decorating process, especially for the kid zones.
  1. Repurpose old pieces of furniture by sanding it down and adding a fresh coat of paint to give it a new look.
  1. Store your China and glassware far out of reach of your child’s hands.
  1. Purchase machine-washable bedding to quickly clean up food or drink spills and other accidents.
  1. Buy furniture in colors and material that will hold up against playtime, spills and everyday use.
  1. Avoid creating a jungle, ocean, sports, space, dinosaurs, cars, princesses or movie character a themed room. Your kids may love it at first but lose interest and want to change the theme of their new homes in St. George bedroom a few months later. Bed linens, lamp shades and throw pillows are great ways to incorporate a themed decorative accessory without doing up the entire room. Choose neutral paint colors that’ll grow with your child as they get older.
  1. Use decorative containers and bins to help your kids stay organized. Make use of multi-purpose pieces such as coffee tables or ottomans with storage units. Beds with storage compartments are great for keeping linens or toys.
  1. Display your kid’s artwork around the home for décor and switch them out as they bring home newer arts and crafts projects.
  1. Opt for overhead lighting instead of table lamps because they can easily be knocked down.
  1. Whether it’s a section of the great room or a spare bedroom in your new homes in St. George, designate an area for your kid’s to play in. This will help to avoid having them use the entire home as their play area with their toys and other play items everywhere.

Foyer design and decorating trends for new homes

Your foyer is the gateway to your home. It’s the first thing guests’ notice when they walk through your front doors and the last impression they have of you when they leave. Foyers should be inviting, reflect your personality and set the tone for the rest of your home. Get inspired to create a wonderful space by these foyer design and decorating trends for your new home in St. George, UT.

Transform your foyer into a welcoming place. Paint your foyer a warm color but select a different color from the surrounding rooms for contrast.

Lighting is essential for any foyer but you don’t want to overdue it by making it too bright. You can add flair to your foyer by putting in a chandelier. Just make sure you leave enough headroom for those tall family members and guests.

A classic foyer design has always been hanging a wall mirror above a table. A current trend is leaning a long mirror against the wall. A mirror comes in handy for checking out your appearances before you step outside, reflects the surrounding features and adds to the décor of your foyer.

Next, add seating. Make sure it’s conducive to the space in your new home in St. George, UT by size and proportion. Seating is multifunctional and can be used as a place guest’s wait, as a seat to remove footwear and outerwear or event o place the mail, magazines or newspapers. Good seating options include an ottoman, bench or accent chairs.

After you’ve selected your seating, designate a place for footwear. Even if you don’t require shoes to be removed before entering the rest of the house, some guests may prefer doing so. A shoe rack or rug may be a great place to put the shoes and comes in handy during inclement weather.

Don’t forget to add a personal statement to your new home in St. George, UT foyer. This can be anything from seasonal flowers in a vase, to family portraits, a collection, artwork or sculpture. It’s a great way to tell your guests a little bit about you and is a great conversation starter.

Fun ways to celebrate Mother’s Day 5/13

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13th. It’s a day set aside to honor and celebrate mothers. If you haven’t figure out what you’re doing yet, here are ten fun ways to celebrate Mom on her special day.

  1. Celebrate Mom with a bouquet or arrangement of her favorite flowers. She can wake up to these colorful, fresh and fabulous flowers in her master bedroom.
  2. Give Mom a helping hand and the day off by cleaning up and organizing around the house.
  3. Complete a project around your new homes in St. George, UT residence that Mom has been waiting for you to get to.
  4. Forget about making brunch or dinner reservations. With the help of your kids, cook up a lovely brunch or dinner for Mom with a side of love. Make it a family affair by inviting over all the special women in your life for a home cooked gourmet meal.
  5. Take Mom to the local gardening store to pick up her favorite plants and flowers to plant around your home.
  6. Dust off those bikes that have been in your new homes in St. George, UT garage all winter and take the family on a bike ride around your neighborhood.
  7. Create a video or a song with your kids expressing how much Mom means to your family.
  8. If Mom loves to get down, give her a gift certificate to a dance studio for ballroom dancing or salsa dancing lessons.
  9. Design a homemade arts and crafts project for Mom filled with pictures and other designs that she can use as decorations.
  10. Throw Mom a surprise Mother’s Day party at your new homes in St. George, UT house. There’s enough space inside and out to celebrate Mom with her favorite music, food and games on her special day.

Kitchen organizing tips

Your kitchen is the core of your home. You prepare meals, entertain, have family meetings and do homework amongst other things in this multifunctional room. Here are 11 tips for keeping your custom home or move-in ready homes for sale in St. George, UT kitchen organized.

1. Throw away any items in your refrigerator, cabinets and pantry that have expired or are spoiled. If you have non-perishable items that you no longer want, donate or give them away to someone so they don’t go to waste.
2. Use the cabinet space under your sink to store cleaning supplies, sponges and other kitchen tools.
3. Hang up your potholders on a hook inside a cabinet door away from your oven and your apron on your pantry door.
4. Fix or chuck anything that is broken.
5. Have designated zones. A cooking one with all your kitchenware and cooking tools together, sandwich bags, plastic wrap and aluminum foil in a drawer near the fridge, dishes by the dishwasher and pots by the stove.
6. Categorize food items together in your homes for sale in St. George, UT pantry.
7. Give a retractable bookstand a shot if you have a recipe book. It’ll be eye level when in use and can fold up under your cabinet when you’re finished.
8. Use a chalkboard or dry erase board to keep track of the cleaning supplies and groceries you need to pick up and your to-do-list for projects.
9. Have at least two cutting boards. A plastic board can be used for raw meats and a wooden one to cut up your veggies.
10. For easy access and to conserve space, place your cutting boards on top of the microwave or your fridge.
11. Clean up as you go so that you don’t leave a mess.

We hope that by using these tips your homes for sale in St. George, UT kitchen will stay organized.

Maximize the storage space at your new home

Congratulations on purchasing your new homes in St. George, UT humble abode. Now is the best time to get organized and to stay organized. Maximizing your home’s available space will help you do so. Here are six pointers to help you get the most out of the storage space at your new home.

  1. Keep your home clutter free. Ger rid of unnecessary items that you no longer need. Maximize your floor space by keeping your belongings off of the floor.
  2. Add a workbench and or built-in shelves for your tools in your garage. Conserve space in your garage by adding a storage shed to your backyard to stow lawnmowers and rakes.
  3. Use organized shelving units to store your shoes, coats, backpacks in your new homes in St. George, UT foyer.
  4. Utilize hidden storage spaces that you may have overlooked. Hang pots and pans on a wall rack or hooks in your kitchen and to store items under your beds.
  5. Transform an ordinary wall into a wall with floor to ceiling storage.
  6. Purchase multifunctional furniture that can also be used for storing items in your new homes in St. George, UT.

St. George MSA Added to 101 Improving Markets Index for April

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE
UNTIL 10:00 A.M., ET, THURSDAY, APRIL 5
CONTACT: Paul Lopez
202-266-8409
plopez@nahb.org
www.nahb.org

101 HOUSING MARKETS ON IMPROVING LIST IN APRIL

WASHINGTON, April 5 – The list of housing markets showing measurable improvement expanded slightly to include 101 metropolitan areas in April, according to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI), released today. Thirty-five states (including theDistrict of Columbia) are now represented by at least one market on the list.

The index identifies metropolitan areas that have shown improvement from their respective troughs in housing permits, employment and house prices for at least six consecutive months. The 101 markets on the April IMI represent a net gain of two from March, with 13 metros being added and 11 markets slipping from the list while 88 markets retained their places on it. Among the new entrants, areas as diverse asRome,Ga.;Coeur d’Alene,Idaho;Greenville,N.C.;Brownsville,Texas;St. George,Utah; andHuntington,W.Va., are now represented on the IMI.

“While housing markets across the country continue to struggle under the weight of overly tight lending conditions and other challenges, the April IMI indicates that just over 100 individual metros are showing measurable and consistent signs that they are headed in the right direction,” said NAHB Chairman Barry Rutenberg. “A total of 34 states and theDistrict of Columbiaare now represented on the list, with 10 states having four or more entries. This positive news is in line with what our builder members have observed regarding firming conditions and improved buyer interest in certain locations.”

“After five consecutive months of gains, the IMI recently began to plateau, with many markets holding steady and a few experiencing the ups-and-downs that are typical in a choppy recovery,” observed NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “The IMI is designed to highlight markets that are showing consistent improvement, and those markets that have registered the smallest gains are more susceptible to dropping off the list due to a minor setback in prices, permits or employment,” he explained. “At the same time, as stronger markets approach stability, it will get harder for them to keep charting improvement, which will also limit the expansion of the IMI.”

“The fact that the number and geographic distribution of improving housing markets continued to expand beyond the 100 mark in April bodes well for the start of the spring home buying season, and should be an encouraging sign for those who are considering a home purchase,” added Kurt Pfotenhauer, vice chairman of First American Title Insurance Company.

The IMI is designed to track housing markets throughout the country that are showing signs of improving economic health. The index measures three sets of independent monthly data to get a mark on the top improving Metropolitan Statistical Areas. The three indicators that are analyzed are employment growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, house price appreciation from Freddie Mac, and single-family housing permit growth from the U.S. Census Bureau. NAHB uses the latest available data from these sources to generate a list of improving markets. A metropolitan area must see improvement in all three areas for at least six months following their respective troughs before being included on the improving markets list.

A complete list of all 101 metropolitan areas currently on the IMI, and separate breakouts of metros newly added to or dropped from the list in April, is available at: www.nahb.org/imi.

 

APRIL IMPROVING MARKETS
NEW MSAs – April
CA Fresno
GA Rome
IA Sioux City
ID Boise
ID Coeur d’Alene
MD Hagerstown
NC Greenville
NY Buffalo
NY Utica
PA Lancaster
TX Brownsville
UT St. George
WV Huntington

Sustained MSAs – April

AR Little Rock
CA Merced
CO Boulder
CO Denver
CO Fort Collins
CO Greeley
CT New Haven
DC Washington
FL Crestview
FL Orlando
FL Panama City
FL Cape Coral
FL Deltona
FL Jacksonville
FL NorthPort
FL Punta Gorda
FL Tampa
IA Iowa City
IA Ames
IA Des Moines
IA Dubuque
IA Waterloo
IN Evansville
IN Elkhart
IN Indianapolis
IN Lafayette
KY Louisville
LA Lake Charles
LA Monroe
MD Cumberland
ME Lewiston
MI Flint
MI Saginaw
MI Detroit
MI Grand Rapids
MI Lansing
MI Monroe
MI Muskegon
MN Minneapolis
MO Columbia
MO Jefferson City
MO Joplin
MO Kansas City
MS Jackson
NC Burlington
NC Charlotte
NC Goldsboro
NC Greensboro
NC Rocky Mount
NC Winston-Salem
ND Bismarck
ND Fargo
ND Grand Forks
NE Lincoln
NJ OceanCity
NY Glens Falls
NY Rochester
OH Columbus
OH Dayton
OH Springfield
OK Tulsa
OR Corvallis
OR Portland
PA Altoona
PA Erie
PA Pittsburgh
PA Williamsport
SC Charleston
SC Spartanburg
SD Sioux Falls
TN Chattanooga
TN Kingsport
TN Nashville
TX San Antonio
TX Amarillo
TX College Station
TX Dallas
TX Laredo
TX Longview
TX McAllen
TX Midland
TX Odessa
TX Tyler
TX Victoria
UT Provo
VT Burlington
WY Casper
WY Cheyenne
 Editor’s Note: The NAHB/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI) is usually released on the fourth business day of each month at 10:00 a.m., ET, unless that day falls on a Friday – in which case, the index will be released on the following Monday. A full calendar of future release dates can be found at www.nahb.org/imi.     

St. George, UT in nation’s top 10 in growth!

By Lee Davidson

The SaltLakeTribune

Published: April 5, 2012 08:50AM
Updated: April 5, 2012 07:38AM
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Adobe is building a new campus in northern Utah County just below Cabela’s and next to I-15 at the Lehi exit. March 12, 2012. Such projects are contributing to growth in the Provo-Orem metro area and inUtahCounty.

Provo-Orem,HeberCityand St. George — and, to a lesser extent,SaltLakeCounty— were among the fastest-growing places in the nation in 2011, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

But not everywhere inUtahis booming. Estimates also showed that rural Beaver, Carbon, Emery,Garfield, Piute andWaynecounties all lost population last year.

“It’s not that we are booming economically inUtah. But relative to other places, we are doing a little better — so that is attracting some people to come here for economic opportunity, or to stay here or move around in the state,” said state demographer Juliette Ten-nert. “Also, we have a lot of natural increase [more births than deaths]. We have a high fertility rate and a lot of women in childbearing years.”

The Census Bureau released 2011 population estimates on Thursday for counties, metropolitan areas and micropolitan areas (places between 10,000 and 50,000 population). Last December, it released 2011 estimates for states — which then said Utah was the second fastest-growing in the nation (behind Texas) with a 1.9 percent increase from 2010 to 2011, more than double the 0.9 percent average growth nationally.

New estimates show some areas ofUtahare surging even more.

TheHeberCitymicropolitan area, for example, grew by 3.8 percent — or four times faster than the national rate. That made Heber the seventh fastest-growing such area in the nation.

Meanwhile, the Provo-Orem metropolitan area grew by 2.7 percent, or three times the national average. It also finished as the nation’s seventh fastest-growing metropolitan area.

Metro St. George landed at No. 11 out of 366 metropolitan areas nationally with 2.6 percent growth.MetroSaltLakeCity was No. 40 at 1.9 percent.Loganwas No. 64 at 1.7 percent. Ogden-Clearfield was No. 77 at 1.6 percent.

Among counties with at least 10,000 population, Wasatch was the 29th fastest-growing in the nation (at 3.8 percent) andSummitwas No. 36 (at 3.5 percent). By numeric jump,SaltLakeCountywas No. 32 in the nation (adding an estimated 19,300 people in the year) andUtahCountywas No. 49 (adding nearly 14,000).

Even with its relatively quick growth,SaltLakeCountydropped from the nation’s 38th most populous county to No. 39 — surpassed by Travis County, Texas, home of the state capital ofAustin. (A chart showing new population estimates for all counties inUtahis online at sltrib.com.)

Heber City Manager Mark Anderson explained growth there, saying, “A lot of people here work inSummitorUtahcounties, but prefer to live here. It’s a little slower pace of life, with access to recreational activities and a high-quality lifestyle.”

Utah County Commissioner Larry Ellertson sees numerous reasons for the relatively high growth in his county.

“Several significant businesses have located here in the past year,” he said. “We also had a number of big construction projects that may have brought people here to find employment or kept some here who otherwise might have moved.”

Among businesses moving or expanding inUtahCounty, he said, were Microsoft and Adobe. Major construction projects include the Interstate 15 rebuild and the huge new National Security Agency computer center nearCampWilliams.

“We are also looking forward to some more companies coming in the near future,” Ellertson said, “but they are not yet ready to announce their plans.”

The commissioner also notes thatUtahCountyhas among the highest fertility rates in the nation, so most of its growth comes from births.

Pam Perlich, senior research economist at theUniversityofUtah, said helping accelerate that trend was the recent conversion ofUtahValleyUniversityinto a full university, attracting more students — many of whom marry and have children. Along withBrighamYoungUniversity, she said, that shift creates an especially high birthrate.

Growth in St. George was perhaps the most surprising and welcome.

“The recession had been worse here than in other parts ofUtah,” said Lecia Langston, regional economist in St. George for the Utah Department of Workforce Services. “The boom was bigger here because of the housing market, and the bust was bigger, too. It’s good to see it turning around now, but I guess that’s easier to do once you hit rock bottom.”

During the decade between 2000 and 2010, St. George was the second-fastest growing metro area in the nation. The Census Bureau noted that other areas of fast growth in the previous decade have slowed dramatically as their booming housing markets collapsed.

For example,Palm Coast,Fla., fell from the No. 1 fastest-growing metro area to No. 55. AndLas Vegasplunged from No. 3 to No. 155. St. George remained fairly high, slipping from No. 2 to No. 11.

The areas that lost population inUtahwere all rural. The Census Bureau estimated that they all had natural increase (more births than deaths), but lost population due to people leaving — likely to find work.

PiuteCountyhad the biggest drop by percentage, 3.8 percent; followed byWayne, 1.5 percent; Beaver andGarfield, 0.5 percent; Carbon, 0.4 percent; and Emery, 0.3 percent.

ldavidson@sltrib.com

 

Spring is Here in St George UT

Spring is officially here. As you trade in the cooler weather for warmer weather and swap out your heavier coats for lighter jackets, your home also needs to be ready for the temperature changes. Here’s what you need to know in order to prepare your new homes in St. George, UT house for warmer weather.1. Set your thermostat to 78° or higher while you’re home and 85° or off if you’re away from home. This will help save your money on your cooling bill.
2. Turn your ceiling fans to spin counter clockwise to help move the air around.
3. Tend to your lawn and garden. Remove weeds that have grown, plant your flowers and vegetables.
4. Examine your roof for rain and snow damage.
5. Go around your house (inside and out) to see if anything needs to be replaced or repaired.
6. Change your heavier winter bedding to lighter springtime bedding.
7. Clear out your closets at your new homes in St. George, UT to make room for your spring and summer wear. Store any winter clothes you plan to wear next season and get rid of items you no longer need or want. This will help keep your his and her walk-in closets, kids closets and additional closets organized.
8. Wash and dry full loads of laundry or if you have to wash smaller loads change settings of the water level to conserve power.
9. Clean the lint screen in your dryer after every load for better air circulation and to reduce the chance of a fire.
10. Air-dry the dishes in your dishwasher to eliminate some heat in your homes in St. George, Ence move-in ready homes.
11. Give your refrigerator, freezer, cabinets and walk-in pantry a good cleaning. Check expiration dates on you food and chuck out anything that has expired. Think about donating any non-perishable goods to food banks or homeless shelters.
12. Tidy up your new homes in St. George, UT garage and stock it with everything you’ll need for spring and summer like fishing gear, golfing clubs, recreational vehicles and camping gear.